STMicroelectronics powers up the intelligent edge with second-generation STM32 microprocessors, bringing performance boost and industrial resilience

STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, is releasing new devices from the second generation of its industrial microprocessors (MPUs), the STM32MP2 series, to drive future progress in smart factories, smart healthcare, smart buildings, and smart infrastructure.

Digital transformation is happening everywhere, driving improvements including greater business productivity, better healthcare, and enhanced safety and energy management throughout buildings, utilities, and transport networks. Critical enabling technologies include cloud computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). ST’s new STM32MP2 MPUs will power the next generations of equipment that create the fabric of this evolving digital world. These include industrial controllers and machine-vision systems, scanners, medical wearables, data aggregators, network gateways, smart appliances, and industrial and domestic robots.

“Our embedded MPUs address the trend that’s pushing more workloads and greater demands to smart devices, often deployed at the IoT edge, for faster response and increased efficiency,” said Stephane Henry, General Purpose MPU Division General Manager, STMicroelectronics. “The new STM32MP2 devices we are announcing today extend the performance trajectory, introducing our most powerful processing engine, now adding edge AI, and supported by the STM32 ecosystem to accelerate product development.”

Architected for demanding and time-sensitive workloads, AI inferencing, and communication, and featuring state-of-the-art cyber security, the STM32MP2 MPUs are built to withstand up to 10-years’ continuous operation.

State-of-the-art security of the new STM32MP2 devices leverages ST’s proprietary secure hardware, anti-tamper controls, protected firmware, and secure provisioning, working with Arm®’s TrustZone^® architecture, to keep sensitive data and keys secret. Certification to SESIP Level 3, the leading security test methodology for IoT devices and compliance, is ongoing for STM32MP2 MPUs to satisfy forthcoming tougher cyber-protection requirements in key territories worldwide. These include the US CyberTrust mark and stipulations in the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive that are due to become mandatory in 2025.

“Together with ST, we tackled the challenge of connecting our devices to the cloud. From opening locks remotely to granting new access rights, our products are shaping the future of access management,” said Marco Temporiti, R&D Software Manager, ISEO. “Thanks to the STM32MP2 microprocessor with its strong encryption capabilities, we are able to build an industrial-grade gateway with unmatched reliability and security. The seamless integration with Yocto Linux has streamlined our development process, allowing us to innovate with ease. And, ST’s 10-year longevity program also ensures a long product lifecycle at reduced cost, setting a new standard in the industry.”

“We worked with ST to build a 2-channel network audio adapter, leveraging the STM32MP1 series microprocessors to handle tasks like converting network digital audio signals for transmission and reception. The robust processing power, Ethernet connectivity and adaptable audio output interfaces were key considerations in choosing the STM32MP1 series for integration into our products,” said Yue XIONG, CEO, S-TRACK. “Now, we’re enthusiastic about the possibilities presented by ST’s latest MPUs, particularly the STM32MP2 series, which deliver improved power efficiency, enabling us to minimize cooling requirements in our enclosed casings. Additionally, the integrated Cortex-M co-processor eliminates the need for a separate microcontroller, and support for Gigabit Ethernet with precision time protocol (PTP) enables accurate data transfer and synchronization among devices. With this advanced technology, our goal is to broaden our product range to include 16-channel offerings.”

The first STM32MP2 MPUs are scheduled to enter volume production in June 2024. Sample requests and pricing information are available from local ST sales offices.

Technical notes for editors:
These are ST’s first MPUs to contain a 64-bit central processing unit (CPU), the Arm Cortex^®-A35, which runs up to 1.5GHz to raise the main processing capability compared to the first-generation STM32MP1 devices.

The CPU is the center of a true heterogeneous processing engine that also contains a Cortex-M33 core. In addition, there is a graphics processor (GPU), neural processor (NPU), and a video processor (VPU). AI workloads can run on the CPU, GPU, or NPU depending on processor loading and application demands, for optimal performance and energy efficiency. In fact, the high efficiency of these MPUs permits system designs to go without active cooling, gaining advantages such as smaller size, silent operation, greater reliability, and reduced power consumption.

The 3D GPU supports up to 1080p displays and the powerful multimedia features also include a full-HD video pipeline with parallel LVDS and DSI interfaces. Together with a MIPI CSI-2 camera interface with ISP, these enhance support for cutting-edge machine-vision applications.

There are further powerful industrial interfaces, including up to three Gigabit Ethernet ports with a 2-port switch and support for Ethernet time-sensitive networking (TSN). There are also PCIe Gen2, USB 3.0, and three CAN-FD interfaces that ease integration in a wide variety of communication and control applications.

The devices are fully supported with STM32 development resources that are familiar to engineers working with ST’s STM32 microcontrollers (MCUs) and STM32 microprocessors. The STM32Cube ecosystem provides tools and dedicated MPU software packs including OpenSTLinux and OpenSTDroid for Android support. There are also evaluation boards that provide further help to simplify development and accelerate project completion.

Discover our portfolio

STM32MP1 microprocessor series from single Arm^® Cortex^®-A7 up to dual Arm^® Cortex^®-A7 and Cortex^®-M4 cores

A general-purpose microprocessor portfolio enabling easy development for a broad range of applications, the STM32MP1 series has the ability to support multiple and flexible applications, achieving the best performance and power figures at any time.

The STM32MP1 microprocessor portfolio comes in two main configurations:
• STM32MP13x product line helps optimize the energy consumption and reduce costs while offering certified security for entry level Linux, bare metal or RTOS-based systems.
• STM32MP15x product line offers heterogeneous processing to support Linux and real-time applications.

The STM32MP1 series has been designed to meet the increasing demand for security in Industry 4.0, smart city and smart home applications. Beyond security, the series helps efficiently reduce energy consumption and cost.

The STM32MP1 extensive ecosystem offers many benefits. Developers can leverage OpenSTLinux, an open-source Linux distribution package, as well as the STM32Cube firmware. In addition, developers can access to a wide range of ST tools and ST partner resources, get local support and use global distribution channels.

Next-gen STM32 microprocessors for Industry 4.0 and edge AI solutions

The STM32MP2 series is an industrial-grade 64-bit solution for secure Industry 4.0 and advanced edge computing applications that require high-end multimedia capabilities.

The STM32MP25 lines are the first of the STM32MP2 series.

Reaching up to 6,000 DMIPS, they support the growth of smart, connected applications thanks to robust features and a significant performance upgrade compared to previous generations. Samples of the STM32MP25 MPUs will be available at the end of this year.

0.8mm pitch package enabling 4L PTH PCB manufacturing.

Robustness

• 100% operating time for 10 years
• Extended temperature up to +125°C
• 10-year longevity program

Connectivity

• Time-sensitive networking (TSN)
• Up to 3 gigabit Ethernet ports (with 2-port switch)
• PCIe Gen2, USB 3.0, 3 x CAN-FD

Strong security

• SESIP Level 3 certification
• TrustZone® on Cortex®-A and Cortex®-M
• Robust hardware encryption

Neural processing unit accelerator

• 1.35 TOPS (tera operations per second)

Multimedia

• 1080p graphic capabilities (3D GPU, H.264 hardware video codec)
• RGB, MIPI DSI, and LVDS displays

Machine vision

• MIPI CSI-2 camera interface with Lite-ISP
• High neural processing capabilities

Industry 4.0

Machine learning

Smart homes

Smart metering

Payment terminals

Internet-of-things (IoT) and edge computing

Enabling flexible prototyping

• An STM32MP25 evaluation board and discovery kit will be available in 2024.
• Easier migration from existing platforms thanks to:
  • Mainlined open-source Linux distribution with Android support available via partners to ensure smooth software porting.
  • A common development framework: developers can use the same STM32Cube tools as for the STM32MP1 MPU series, including GCC-based IDEs, STM32CubeProgrammer, and STM32CubeMX. STM32CubeMX includes the DRAM interface tuning tool to simplify the configuration of the DRAM subsystem.
• Our extensive third-party ecosystem will help developers accelerate their design.